Who wants to be a Gnome?
by tetrisman
Summary: Based from 'You ain't Nothin but a Horn(y) Dog ...er Gonme" By DobbyDobs Raise your hand if You wanted to be a Gnome Animagus after reading this Fic.


teDisclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Who wants to be a Gnome?

o0oOo0o

Chapter One: Animagus Potion or Shrinking Potion?

o0oOo0o

Harry lay flat on his back, breathing hard as though he had been running. He had awoken from a vivid dream with his hands pressed over his face. The old scar on his forehead, which was shaped like a bolt of lightning, was burning beneath his fingers as though someone had just pressed a white hot wire to his skin.

He closed his eyes tightly and tried to remember what Voldemort had looked like, but it was impossible… all Harry knew was that at the moment when Voldemort's chair had swung around, and he, Harry, had seen what was sitting in it, he had felt a spasm of horror, which had awoke him… or had that been the pain in his scar.

Harry took a deep breath. He needed to calm his mind. It wouldn't do him any good to be reckless right now. He needed help. It wasn't the first time had hurt him. The only thing that was bothering him was the last time his scar had hurt him, it had been because Voldemort had been close by… But Voldemort couldn't be here, now… The idea of Voldemort lurking in Privet Drive was absurd, impossible…

He looked at door of his room, half expecting it to open, and any second Voldemort would enter his wand brandishing in front of him, ready to start his monologue.

He needed help, he was transversing on unknown grounds here. He needed help.

At once, Hermione Granger's voice seemed to fill his head, shrill and panicky.

"Your scar hurt? Harry, that really serious… Write to Professor Dumbledore! And I'll go and check Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions… Maybe there's something in there about curse scars…"

Yes, that would be Hermione's advice: Go straight to the headmaster of Hogwarts, and in the meantime, consult a book.

He wasn't stupid. He can't write something like:

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_Sorry to bother you, but my scar hurt this morning._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Harry Potter._

Even inside his head the words sounded stupid.

He was sure that Dumbledore was a busy man. He had a good memory after all and he can still remember when he had gotten his Hogwarts Letter. (Well, he really can't forget that it was one of his fondest memories.) He had read that Professor Dumbledore holds office in Wizzengamot or something and on International Confederation of Wizards. He can't bother him because of a hurting scar. Can he?

If consulting Hermione was no good, he then tried to imagine his other best friend, Ron Weasley's, reaction, and in a moment, Ron's face swim before Harry, wearing a bemused expression.

"Your scar hurt? But… but You-Know-Who can't be near you now, can he? I mean… you'd know, wouldn't you? He'd be trying to do you in again, wouldn't be? I dunno, Harry, maybe curse scars always twinge a bit… I'll ask Dad…"

Harry kneaded his forehead with his knuckles. What he really wanted (and it felt almost shameful to admit it to himself) was someone like- someone like a parent: an adult wizard whose advice he could ask without feeling stupid, someone who cared about him, who had had experience with Dark Magic…

And then the solution came to him. It was so simple, and so obvious, that he couldn't believe it had taken so long – Sirius.

Harry gets off his bed toward his desk to write letter to Sirius.

_Dear Sirius,_

_Thanks for your last letter. The bird was enormous; it could hardly get through my window. Things are the same as usual here. Dudley's diet isn't going too well. My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window. That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn't even got a Mega-Mutilation Part Three to take his mind off things._

_I'm okay, mainly because the Dursley are terrified you might turn up and turm them all into bats if I ask you to._

_A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don't reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterward?_

_Say hello to BuckBeak for me._

_Harry_

Yes, thought Harry that looked all right. One problem solved. The only thing he needed to do now was to stave off boredom for a month. God, he can't even study since Vernon, once again, locked his things. Harry stared on the window, waiting for Hedwig to appear since she always seems to know if he was in need to send letters when a bright idea came to his head. He went to his letter and added a postscript.

_PS. I'm sure it would be boring this month till Hogwarts. Do you have something like a book or potion that can help me become Animagus or at least teach me how to become one? I thought that because Animagus transformation doesn't need the use of wand, I would be able to study it for the rest of the summer. I wanted to become like you and Dad._

Just as he finished his letter, Hedwig swoop in from his window and stretch her leg waiting for Harry to tie the letter.

Harry chuckled at the intelligence of his owl and quickly tied his letter.

"It's for Sirius," Harry said.

Hedwig shook her head as if saying that she already knows that it was for Sirius and he didn't need to tell her that.

"Sorry, I have no owl treats now, but I'm sure that Sirius would happily give you," Harry said, "Have a safe trip Hedwig."

And with that said, Hedwig flew out of the window carrying Harry's letter.

When Hedwig was out of sight, he got to his feet, stretched, and opened his wardrobe once more. Without glancing at his reflection he started to get dressed before going down for breakfast.

o0oOo0o

Harry sighed wistfully as he changes clothes preparing for bed. It had been wild the last two days.

After he had written his letter to Sirius, he went down for breakfast. The breakfast had been a normal affair with Dudley attempting to sneak more food to his plate, and his aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon doing their best to pretend that he don't exist. Dudley and Vernon were both grumbling about the little food in their plate. Well, it was the time that they diet; they were fat as they were tall.

It was the normal affair until the doorbell rung. His uncle went to answer the door and in a flash Dudley had stolen his father's grapes from his plate. Vernon came back a few minutes later, his face puce purple a sign that he was angry.

Harry later learned that Vernon was angry because the Harry had received a letter from the muggle post, a letter full of stamps. It was so unDursleyish and the post man had laugh at Vernon's face that he shifted his anger to Harry.

After Harry explained the unDursleyish word contained from Mrs. Weasley especially when she invited him to attend the Quidditch World Cup with them, Vernon threatened Harry that there would be no more unnaturalness in his house and Harry wouldn't go to the that thing, whatever it is.

Harry just countered that he would tell his Godfather, a mass murderer in Vernon's eyes, that Vernon was mistreating him. Vernon shuts up after that and allowed Harry to go.

When he went to his room, there was a little owl, named Pig, in his room, which he used to answer the Weasley family invitation.

The next day, was a busy affair with Vernon and Petunia bickering, tag teaming him, offering subtle insult to him and his _folk._ Mr. Weasley, Ron, Fred and George arrived via floo powder to their fireplace, a fireplace that was blocked by an electric fireplace.

Mr. Weasley had no choice but to blast the electric fireplace, an action that made Vernon's face more purple.

They left via floo back to their house with Harry but not before the twins pranked Dudley making his tongue to be ten inches long.

He also met the elder Weasley, Charlie and Bill.

The rest of the day was spent catching up between the trio and imagining what would happen in the Quidditch Cup next day, excited at the prospect to watch an international level Quidditch.

Right now, Harry was preparing himself to sleep. Ron has didn't even bother to change clothes as soon as he dropped to bed, he had fallen asleep.

He was about to get to bed when he heard a sound of knocking. He looked at the source of the noise and noticed that it was Hedwig and the window, hitting it with her beak as a way of asking permission to enter.

He hurriedly went to open the window, letting Hedwig to enter. He looked at his left and notice that Ron was still asleep.

He went to Hedwig who used a wooden box as a perch. There was also a letter tied to her left leg and Harry guessed the box she was using as a perch was a package from Sirius.

"Hello, Hedwig. A letter from Sirius?" Harry asked.

_Chirp_

"Ah, yes. Stretch your leg then."

_Chirp_

_Chirp_

"Oh sorry, I forgot. Please wait for a few seconds as I get the owl treats just for you," Harry said when Hedwig asked for her treats.

Harry rummaged through his trunk and after a bit of searching, he quickly get what he was looking for.

After he fed Hedwig some owl treats, she happily stretched her legs letting Harry to get his letter. As soon as he gets it, Hedwig flies to the open window, leaving to hunt for food.

Harry opened the letter and Sirius handwriting came to view.

_Dear Harry,_

_Thank you for alerting me about your scar. A curse scar hurting always brings premonitions. It means something bad will always happen. Do you have any dream or vision when your scar hurts? Sorry, I can't help you on your problem. I wasn't well verse with curse scar. My only advice is you should ask Dumbledore. He knows all about curse scar. He has one above his left knee. He got that one from Grindewald. I'm sure Dumbledore can offer you some insight on why your scar was hurting._

_And about your request, I'm happy that you're starting to truly become a marauder. Enclosed in the box accompanying this letter are two potions. The first potion was called Inner Animal potion. As soon as you drink it, you'll instantly transform into your animal form. But be warned Harry that only 1 in 100 Animagus capable wizards achieve form by this, and only about 1 in 1000 wizards and witches are capable of becoming an Animagus. If you didn't belong on that range, you'll probably die and if you're lucky you'll just enter a comatose state. It was for this reason that this was a Ministry banned potion._

_But I'm confident that you belong to that range. You are your father's son after all. Also, I would like to inform you that through this potion that we had become an Animagus. You're grandmother was the one who brewed this potion when your father asked that he would like to become Animagus with his friends. And after some pleading with our part she gives in and she brewed us this potion. She brewed four sets since that time Mrs. Potter didn't know that Remus is a werewolf and not in need of the potion. This potion had been in stasis ever since._

_The second was called the Inner Animal reversal potion. After you drink it, you would instantly transform to your human form. After that, you would instinctly know how to transform from animal to human and human to animal._

_If you decided to drink the Inner Animal potion, be warned that you would be overcome by the urges of your animal form even if you were on human form. There was a reason why someone who wanted to become an Animagus meditates for years before attempting the transformation._

_I won't blame you if you decided not to drink the potion. I know that the cost of failure was great._

_But if you drink it, you'll make me and your father proud._

_Sirius_

After reading the letter, there was no way for Harry not to drink the potion. Harry didn't know it, but Sirius had written his letter in some sort of challenge, knowing that Harry even in his lone nature didn't back up from any challenge. He was a Gryffindor, through and through.

Even if the cause of failure is death, it would hinder Harry in what he wanted to do. He wanted to make his father proud. He didn't know it but the subtle direction written in Sirius letter was doing its work, influencing him to take the potion.

Harry folded Sirius letter and put it in his trunk before getting the box that Hedwig had used as her perch and opened it. Just like the letter said, it contained two potions. The first one was brownish potion labeled Inner Animal while the second one was colored blue labeled Inner Animal Potion.

He looked at both potions for a second deciding if he should downed the contents right now or he should get some sleep and decide tomorrow.

But his curious nature decided for him, he wanted to know what his animal form was. And he reasoned that he wouldn't get the time tomorrow since it was sure to be a busy day preparing to leave for the World Cup.

He looked at Ron who was still asleep.

Good, he wanted to keep his form a secret.

With that thought in mind, He took off his glasses and closed his eyes before he ingests the potion.

He didn't know what effect this action would bring to his life. He didn't know what the blend of Basilisk Venom and Phoenix Tears in his blood would affect the potion. And He wouldn't know till a later date what side effects his unique blood would do to his body.

As soon as he had gulped down the potion he feels his body changing. His body was shrinking and his grasp on the potion battle had begun to weaken. It didn't take long for Harry to loosen his grip on the potion bottle, dropping it. His body continues to shrink, shrinking until he was about ten inches tall.

As soon as he became aware that his body had finished transforming, he opened his eyes and can't help but notice that the room was too big and he was so small.

He looked around the room and looking for a mirror or reflective surface while cursing himself that he didn't think to set a mirror first so he can see what he had become.

Harry sighed; there was no use in crying over spilled milk. Once he had consumed the other potion he can become a human again. And Sirius said in his letter that he can transform to animal form and back to human whenever he wants anyway. He can set the mirror after becoming a human again, and transform in front of it to see what animal he had become.

With that thought in mind, he began to walk toward the box where the other potion lay.

He had taken a few steps before he stopped himself.

He was walking in two legs!

He didn't know any animal this small that can on two legs that doesn't have feathers. And he can clearly feel that he didn't have any feathers anywhere in his body.

He hesitantly raised his hands to eye level and he sees hands, human hands. He looked at the rest of his body and notice that it was the same as his normal body albeit a bit bulkier than normal and he also notice that he was still wearing the same clothes before he gulped the potion. From his shoes, to his pants and his shirt, it was the same. The same with his glasses—wait glasses. He didn't have any eyeglass right now; he had taken off his glasses before taking the potion.

'Odd,' he thought, 'I can see clearly. Maybe it was the side effect of the transformation.'

Having remembered that he had taken off his glasses and he knows that eyeglasses have a little reflection. He looked around the bed hoping to find his glasses to see his reflection.

He found it behind the black box that contained the other potion. He run to his glasses as fast as his little legs could carry him. It didn't take him long to reach it with the rate he was going.

He carries it so he can see his face and his suspicion had been proved.

He had been pranked. Sirius didn't send him any Animagus potion or something along those lines. What he sent was a shrinking potion. And he hazard to guess that the other potion was a counter for the shrinking potion.

Because what he was seeing in the reflection was himself, even his lightning bolt scar was there. Not any animal but himself shrink seven times.

What he sees in the reflection was himself, albeit it was a bit well-built and his ears seem to be a bit more pointed. He wished that he had that form, a muscular form, because even he, himself, knows that he was a bit skinny due to the neglect he suffered in his earlier life.

He chuckled to himself that was a good prank. He can't believe himself that was fooled that Sirius could produce an Animagus potion in just one and a half day. And he doubted that there was really an Animagus potion because if he was true there would be a handful of Animagus running around. He can't believe that he consider Sirius excuse about the existence of the potion. Really, an Animagus potion brewed by his grandmother?

Just as he was about to climb the wooden box and hopefully figure out how he would uncork the bottle containing the counter potion, he was pick up by the collar by none other than Ronald Weasley.

It looks like the bottle breaking and with all his scurrying around, he had done had woken Ron.

"Bloody gnome," Ron cursed as he picked Harry just above his eye level, "How dare you interrupt my sleep? I was so close in getting the snitch, prompting a victory to England."

Ron marched off toward the window ready to throw the mini Harry.

"Wait, Ron, don't throw me out of the window. It's me Harry," Harry tried to say but what came out was something like "Wodn iwe htfo tuoem wo rht tn odn ortiaw. Yrr ah emsti."

Harry's words came to deaf ears as Ron didn't understand anything he says as Ron raise him, ready to throw Harry out of the window.

"Yadda, yadda, yadaa…" Ron mocked. "Let's see if you can fly."

With a mighty swing, Ron threw the Gnome Harry out of the window, before he wants to bed falling asleep, to dream about his career as a professional Quidditch player, as soon as his body hit the bed.

Harry was not as comfortable as Ron as he experience what's it like to fly without using a broom and he was rapidly falling to his doom.

"Tig ydo olbuoy nor. Uoy esru cdna ts o hgasa kca bemoc lli." _(Ron, you bloody git. I'll come back as a ghost and curse you.)_ Harry yelled as he flied toward the ground.

Harry closed his eyes, preparing for the pain and accepting his doom.

'Fuck, that hurt,' Harry thought as his body hit the ground and he bounce a few times before coming to stop.

Harry could feel his bones and every part body ache. But after a few seconds, he feels that his bones seem to feel… fine. As if there wasn't anything broken, he hesitantly raised his right hand. Right, it was not broken. It ached but otherwise fine.

Harry was about to scoff at the impossibility of it; in his shrunken state he would surely die from a fall that high. It was before he recalled a tale Neville told. His Uncle had dropped him from the second floor when he was a child. He bounced when he hit the ground. It was his first instance of accidental magic.

Reasoning that it was what he had done himself, performing accidental magic to survive the fall, he straighten himself, preparing to go inside the house while planning how best to get revenge on Ron. How dare Ron through him out of the window like that?

He stood up, dusting himself. He was about to leave when a rough voice spoke to him.

"Dal thg irlauoy era? Hgi hytt erpsm eeslla feht. Y adyby ades row gnit tegsa wno meddaeh derta htr ae wsi." That's what he heard but to him it sounded like, _"Are you alright lad? The fall seems pretty high. I swear that red-head demon was getting worse day by day."_

Harry looked at the source of the voice and he found a man in his forties and a shaggy beard that would put Hagrid's own to shame. He was also the same size as Harry. Meaning he was about ten inches tall. He also looked like a human that had taken a shrinking potion.

But he knows what he was, he was a Gnome.

What the Fuck?

As soon as the word Gnome came to his head, he came to a most crazy and most outlandish conclusion. He had become a Gnome Animagus. It would explain his current size. Ron had mistaken him for a Gnome, maybe he was really one.

He scoffed at that idea. Sirius had sent him a shrinking potion, nothing more. There was no way that the potion he sent was an Animagus Potion. There was no such thing as Animagus Potion. Right?

But still back in the corner of his mind, it was persuading him that he was really a Gnome.

"Dal thg irlauoy era? Gni the mos roda ehru oy tihuoydid? T ruhllit snach giht ah tllaf a nik shguotruohti wneve ecnis detn eir osidt iba e ru oyfi uoyt lua ftndl uowi," the Gnome asked him worriedly. _(Are you alright lad? Did you hit your head or something? I wouldn't fault you if you're a bit disoriented since even with our tough skin a fall that high can still hurt.) _

Harry was about to answer that he was fine when he realized something. He had understood everything what the Gnome had said!

The idea that he was really a Gnome Animagus seem more plausible now and what Sirius sent was really an Animagus Potion. 'I mean, how is it that I was able to understand a different language,' he thought. That's when he recalled that Sirius said that he can understand the dog language since he became a dog Animagus. Understanding the language of you animal form was a part of the package of being an Animagus. And he recalled that that Gnome has really tough skin. He recalled Ron throwing them away but they always seems fine. Was this the reason how he survives from falling down the second floor?

But it was impossible. Gnome is a magical creature not an anim-.

Magical creature, magical creature… he had become a magical creature!

Harry nearly cried on the spot. He always wanted to be normal which something he already knows that he couldn't get with his status as the only survivor of the killing curse. But he still wished when he sipped the potion that his Animagus form would be normal.

And having a Gnome as his animal form was anything but normal. He would even bet that he was the first person to have a magical creature as an Animagus form. The Daily Prophet would have a field day if they learned that their precious Boy-who-lived had a magical creature as Animagus form even it was something like a Gnome. He needed to keep his Animagus form a secret. He can't risk it leaking for the sake of his sanity.

But still two parts of his mind was still arguing if he was a Gnome Animagus or not. One part's main point was that Sirius has just pranked him sending him a shrinking potion while the other countered that Harry was the Boy-who-lived, he was not a normal wizard, and it was also prudent that he would also get a unique Animagus form.

Deciding that the best course of action would be to quickly go back to Ron's room and ingests the other potion then write Sirius to ask if he really sent an Animagus Potion or just a shrinking potion, he prepared to leave.

He was about to leave when his head hurts.

The Gnome had hit him in the head real hard. Really, really hard.

"Roft ah tod uo yodt ahw?"_(What do you do that for?)_ Harry the Gnome Animagus asked unconsciously using the Gnome language as he rubbed his bruised head.

"Diats rif," _(First aid.)_ the other Gnome answered.

"Diats rif?" _(First aid.)_ Harry asked looking at the other Gnome as if he was crazy. "Dai ts rifotde ta lerd aehymgn it tihsi woh." _(How is hitting my head related to first aid?)_

"Evitc eff eetiu qsa wti fl e sym os yasifi dn adi atsri fehtstaht. Dae hruoyt ihierofebn oi tseuqymg nidnop s ert nere wuoy," _(That's the first aid and if I say so myself, it was quite effective. You weren't responding to my question before I hit your head,)_ the shaggy Gnome said as if he was proud of himself.

"Yzarc eruoy," _(You're crazy, )_Harry yelled.

"Re hto Rbyms, awta hty za rctonmi. Ez arcs ie Canym. Ema nru oysta hwda luoy?_ (I'm not Crazy, that was my brother. My name is Craze. You, lad, what's your name?)_ the Gnome named Craze asked.

"Yrrah," _(Harry,)_ Harry answered meekly.

"Yrrah, thgir. Es olcott uo bas, awl atrope htw onogd lu ohsew," _(Right, Harry. We should go now, the portal was about to close.) _Craze said with urgency in his voice.

"Latrop?" (Portal?) Harry asked.

"Ais enm aeva hot drah ytte rpdaeh ruoy ti heva htsumuoy. Lat rope httegro fne veuoy. _(You must have hit your head pretty hard to have amnesia. You even forget the portal. We should get you to the hospital. Come, follow me.) _Craze said shaking his little head.

That made Harry pause. The Gnome had just invited Harry to his home!

And nobody, and I mean wizards didn't have ever been in a Gnome's home. Just like wizards hadn't been in the deepest underground of Gringotts and wizards hadn't set foot in a veela sanctuary, wizards had never been in a Gnome's home. Hey, he listens to Hagrid's lesson, and not to mention Hermione's nagging.

There was even one wizard who wanted to know what a Gnome's home looked like, he had dug his whole backyard and he didn't see any trace of the Gnome who frequently visit his backyard or even its home.

There was also a wizard who had put a tracking charm on a Gnome. At first tracking charm was working fine, he had managed to track the Gnome that was going underground but suddenly it had vanish without a trace. His tracking charm was even canceled. It was so impossible since Gnome had little magic in their body that they shouldn't be able to cancel the tracking charm or even sense it that that wizard decided to get a new hobby. Obsessing over a Gnome didn't bore fruit.

But now, he, Harry had just been invited in a Gnome's home. Harry really was not a normal wizard.

Harry decided then and then that he would follow this Gnome. He was in a win-win situation.

If he really was a Gnome Animagus, he would know how Gnome acts, and if he was not a Gnome Animagus and he had just a downed a shrinking potion, then at least he would know what a Gnome's home looks like. He would have a knowledge Hermione did not know. And it was a plus point in his book; he can tease Hermione with this knowledge. Since he was sure that even Hermione didn't know what a Gnome's home looks like since nobody had seen it yet so it wasn't in any book, she wouldn't able to research what a Gnome's home looks like.

"Ton rog nimocu oy era?"_(Are you coming or not?)_ Craze the Gnome as impatiently. He was now in a one of the rabbit (Gnome?) holes in the garden.

"Gn imocmi, gn imocmi," _(I'm coming, I'm coming.)_ Harry yelled after the Gnome as Craze enter the Gnome hole and vanish from sight.

He looked at the hole as if deciding if he should follow or not before he decided that for the hell of it, he hoisted himself into the hole headfirst, pushed himself forward. He slid a considerable way down what felt like a stone slide, then landed on the cold, damp earth. The only light source of the cave in is in the top.

Harry squint his eyes and notice that he can see even if it was dark in the hole.

"E esn aci," _(I can see.)_ Harry said out loud not noticing that his companion had heard him.

"Na cuoyes ruo cfo," _(Of course you can,) _Craze said looking at Harry as if he was crazy. "Noisi vthg ine vahos lae wthgi se yepr ahsr uomor fedisa. En ift suj kr ade htni eesn acew. Sih, tyrr ac emple hwon." _(Aside from our sharp eye-sight we also have night vision. We can see in the dark just fine. Now, help me carry this.)_

Craze pointed at the two sacks, each at least thrice the size of Harry. Harry looked at him incredulously, thinking that there was no way he can carry that. His bones and body would break; each sack was easily thrice his size.

Harry watched as Craze carries the sack as if he wasn't that even bothered by the weight. Maybe Gnome was like ants, they were strong for their little size.

He looked at Craze and he looked back at the sack before he looked at Craze who was carrying a sack and he looked back again at his own sack.

If he was able to carry the sack with no problem, maybe he really was a Gnome.

He hesitantly approaches his sack and hesitantly carries it. He put it on his shoulder and he feels and he feels… nothing. He feels like he wasn't even carrying a sack thrice his size over his shoulder!

Maybe he really was a Gnome, or it was only the effect of the shrinking potion. He may be shrunken but his strength was still the same. That was the effect of the shrinking potion, right?

"Sihts tahw,"_(What's this?)_ Harry asked indicating the content of the sack as he follows Craze down the passage that seems to twist and to turn, more like a burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else.

Craze seems to drool for a few seconds before he answered Harry's question. "Sdo geh tfod oo feh tsti." _(It's the food of the Gods.)_

"Sdo geht fo doo feht?" _(The food of the Gods?) _Harry asked while thinking that he was carrying ambrosia.

Craze looked at Harry for a few seconds as if latter was crazy before he remembered that Harry 'has' amnesia. "Se hs idarsiti. Dra hytt erpdae hru oyti hyll aertsu muoy. Doo feti rovafs eca rruot egrofnev euoy." _(It is radishes. You must really hit your head pretty hard. You even forget our race's favorite food.)_

Craze's last two sentences just passed through Harry's ear because as soon as he heard the word radish, his brain became mush. The word radish brought a drool to his lips. He really wants to eat radish. His thoughts were consumed the by radishes, the juicy and crunchy radishes.

His head was so full of radishes that he didn't notice that they had arrived at the place prompting his companion to stopped walking which Harry didn't notice and he crashed to the older Gnome.

Fortunately, there wasn't anything bad that happened and luckily, that seemed to jumpstart his brain. His brain was fully functional now except for a small part of his brain that still crave radishes.

"Pot su oyo dyhw?"_(Why do you stop?)_ Harry asked slightly thankful that Craze has diverted his thoughts.

"La trop ehtnide vi rra evahew," _(We have arrived in the portal,)_ Craze answered.

Harry looked at the direction Craze was looking, and his breath was taken away. He had never seen something like this… this fascinating piece of… piece of machinery.

He shook his head. Where did that thought come from? Why is it that what he wanted to do was just stared at this piece of masterpiece, studying and examining it thoroughly?

"_You would be overcome by the urges of your animal form."_

Sirius letter came to mind. 'Was I being overcome by the urges of being a Gnome?' Harry thought, 'It's impossible, isn't it? There was no way a Gnome that Crookshanks loved to chase has a love for machinery. I mean they wouldn't even understand it.'

But Harry has his doubts. After looking at the archway for long, he was starting to understand every mechanism embedded on the wall. 'I can't imagine it. A garden Gnome that loves to be chased by a cat has something like this,' thought Harry.

"Titnsievis, serp mi?" _(Impressive, isn't it?)_ Craze commented as he noticed the look of admiration Harry was giving the portal. "No ita nem on geh tfosed ir peh tfoen osawti." _(It was one of the prides of the Gnome nation.)_

"Tisi ta hw?" _(What is it?)_ Harry asked.

But what he wanted to ask was about Gnome nation. Because all the wizards know is that Gnome was just a magical pest in their backyard. Was there a Gnome nation? And how did a garden Gnome acquire this piece of technology?

Well, if he was honest to himself, he would say that he just wanted to know what this fascinating machinery was in front of him. His Gnome nature was coming to a front.

"La tr o pasiti. Desu dlof osdr azi wehttah we kil tsuj. Og asra eyderdn uh evifyren ih camhn isutieta ercer itdegan ameva hew," _(It is a portal. Just like what the wizards of old used. We have managed to recreate it using machinery five hundred years ago,) _Craze explained his tone full of pride. "Ogs, telw on. Em rofgn iti awerase viw ym." _(Now, let's go. My wives are waiting for me.)_

The wives comment had been lost to Harry as watched Craze pulled down one of the many levers on the wall and he sees the gears of the archways spinning and rotating, fascinated all the while. A black swirl emerged from the center of the archway and continued to enlarge until the edge of the spiral was touching the archway.

"Yawh craeh thguo, rhtp etst sujyrra hgn olaemoc," _(Come along Harry, just step through the archway,)_ Craze waved form him to follow before stepping through the archway.

The black swirl seems to swallow him before vanishing completely.

He was about to follow along when he stopped himself.

Why did he have to follow the Gnome?

He can come back to Ron's room and take the other potion now that the Gnome wasn't watching him. There wasn't any reason to follow since he had seen enough. He didn't know what awaited him in the other side of the portal or if the portal was even working or if the archway was really a portal.

But in the back of his mind really insist to follow the other Gnome. As if he would regret doing so. As if he needed to follow the Gnome.

Harry stopped himself, letting him to think about his situation. He had three options to follow through.

His first option was to come back to Ron's room and forget about his little experience for the sake of his sanity and write off the whole experience as a dream. He may regret it later, it was once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Gnome's home and based from the archway, he had yet to see more. He may also lose his way coming back.

His second option was to follow the Gnome through the Archway, seeing all the Gnome has to offer. He really didn't expect a Gnome to own a portal, if it really was a portal. Well, maybe Voldemort was being creative and it was a new trap set by Voldemort to off him, maybe that was the reason why his scar was hurting the other day. Or maybe when he stepped through the archway it would malfunction due to his luck and he may be transported through to place unknown.

His third option was just to sit here and eat the radishes that he was carrying. It wouldn't last long but at least he had tasted the juicy goodness of radishes. And he can decide if he wanted to go through option one or two.

Maybe, he should do just that. He was about to opened the sack when he shakes head, clearing his head of the goodness of radishes. He shouldn't eat them, since it wasn't his. This means that the third option was out.

Harry stared at the archway for a few seconds before he come to a decision. He decided to go through option two since if the Portal was fascinating, what would he see on the other side of it? He decided to risk it; maybe he would see more interesting things on the other side.

He shook his head clearing his thoughts, the thoughts of radishes was still plaguing his mind. He decided to follow Craze the Gnome. Putting the sack back to his shoulder, he walked to Archway, his heart beating faster than normal.

He wouldn't know how his decision to follow the Gnome had changed his life for the better.


End file.
